Adobe ended support for its Flash software in 2020, but its legacy lives on in the hearts of game developers everywhere. This includes Shotdogs, a game which challenges you to fire a hot dog as far as possible using whimsical power-ups like a pelican.
There are hot dogs and more in Cool WIP, Polygon’s weekly roundup of eye-catching clips and screenshots of works in progress. Each week, the Polygon staff scours the internet for the most interesting games still under construction, to give you a sampler of the coolest up-and-coming projects.
We have a game inspired by the manga Berserk, beautifully designed mythical creatures, a strong anime girl, and the best fast-travel animation you’ve ever seen.
Catapult hot dogs over the wide-open ocean
Shotdogs is an homage to the catapult games from the Flash era. In catapult games, you’re just trying to fling an object as far as possible. Although Shotdogs was inspired by those games, it’s a lot cuter (and more appropriate) than say, Kitten Cannon, which had you launching cats to their deaths. A clip shows a hot dog launch, and you can see the sausage fly through the air and into a pelican’s mouth, which then allows you to glide along, a la Flappy Bird. According to the developer, Alex Johansson, the game is close to finished but isn’t ready for release just quite yet. Those interested can reach out and test the game.
SHOTDOGS is about 98% done! It’s a flashback (pun intended) to web catapult games like Burrito Bison/Yeti Sports blended with Ridiculous Fishing. Looking for testers, drop me a DM if you’re interested in giving it a go! #gamedev #pixelart #games #madeinstencyl #gamedevelopment pic.twitter.com/Ee6jzfhm8U
— Alex Johansson (@alexvscoding) January 10, 2022
A developer takes a stab at Berserk
Dennis Opel posted a scene of a new game concept: a Studio Ghibli film meets the manga Berserk. It looks like a much brighter and cheerier re-imagination of the gritty adventure series from Kentaro Miura. A clip shows a red-cloaked figure walking through a breezy plain. The game looks pretty early in development; so far, the developer has just posted scenes teasing the character and world, however you can keep up with Opel’s work on their Twitter account.
Ghibli meets Berserk. That’s my goal. Hope I can make this happen. #screenshotsaturday #indiegame #gaming #gamedev pic.twitter.com/Gsc3ekgrBO
— Dennis Opel (@DennisCraftshop) January 8, 2022
Get chucked across the continent
The Sea of Stars team showed off a fun way to fast travel. In a clip, you see the characters being scooped and chucked across the continent by a giant stone creature. Sea of Stars is a turn-based RPG from the Quebec-based Sabotage Studio, creators of The Messenger. There’s no release date yet but the game is slated to be released on Windows PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch.
Might have gone a bit overboard with the fast travel assets…#pixelart #screenshotsaturday #gamedev #rpg pic.twitter.com/lgZDwVQZqB
— Sea of Stars (@seaofstarsgame) January 8, 2022
An RPG with a stunning art-style
This clip is from another turn-based RPG. It’s called Ways of Errantry and features a magical art style fit for its mythical characters. This clip shows a team of characters facing down a giant horned creature that resembles a minotaur. The character signs look slick, but the environment looks incredible, since the line work and color shading gives the effect of being in a dark, twisted forest. There’s no release date but you can follow the developers’ work on the Errant Works Twitter account.
You should not get the horned creature angry in Ways of Errantry #screenshotsaturday #indiedev pic.twitter.com/bfaM8yJdbP
— Errant Works (@ErrantWorks) January 8, 2022
I want to face down the world as this blue haired-gunner
The moment I saw this character design from Forlorn Memories I stopped scrolling. Her entire design just absolutely whips. Her name is Xela and she has blue hair, a cool outfit, and an even cooler gun. A clip shows off a codex that reveals her chibi form as well. Forlorn Memories is being made by a developer named Alex and you can check out all the other characters on their Twitter account.
I’ve added a small friends indicator to the codex that shows with which characters your party members are currently befriended with.#gamedev | #indiegames | #indiegame | #indiedev | #rpg pic.twitter.com/fJQL0lnM1G
— Alex I アレックス (@ForlornAlex) January 6, 2022
The post Launch hot dogs across the sea in this throwback to Flash-era games appeared first on Polygon.
